IT'S not a netbook but a "pocket
style PC", Sony says of its new Atom-powered Vaio laptop.
Sony Philippines unveiled Tuesday two models of the Vaio P--the most striking f
eature is its 8-inch ultra wide high-resolution (XGA 1600 x 768) display.
The Vaio P uses Intel's Atom Z processor, billed as more compact and power effi
cient than the previous Atom N chip.
While previous Atom N netbooks fall within the P20,000 to P30,000 price range,
the Vaio P is priced at P49,999 to P69,000 depending on processor and storage c
onfigurations.
The Vaio P falls into a totally new category, according to Zhorida L
ipayon, Sony Philippines marketing manager.
The higher-end model also features built-in noise canceling technology by Sony.
"It's a fully capable PC that's more mobile," Lipayon said, noting that the Vai
o P can compete with regular priced laptops.
The Vaio P was first unveiled by Sony last month at the Consumer Electronics Sh
ow in Las Vegas.
The product will be available through pre-sales orders on Sony's local website.
"There are limited stocks available but we are projecting enough quantity for t
he Vaio P to be a sustainable product," Lipayon said.
January 2009 Archives
IT'S not a netbook but a "pocket
style PC", Sony says of its new Atom-powered Vaio laptop.
Sony Philippines unveiled Tuesday two models of the Vaio P--the most striking f
eature is its 8-inch ultra wide high-resolution (XGA 1600 x 768) display.
The Vaio P uses Intel's Atom Z processor, billed as more compact and power effi
cient than the previous Atom N chip.
While previous Atom N netbooks fall within the P20,000 to P30,000 price range,
the Vaio P is priced at P49,999 to P69,000 depending on processor and storage c
onfigurations.
The Vaio P falls into a totally new category, according to Zhorida L
ipayon, Sony Philippines marketing manager.
The higher-end model also features built-in noise canceling technology by Sony.
"It's a fully capable PC that's more mobile," Lipayon said, noting that the Vai
o P can compete with regular priced laptops.
The Vaio P was first unveiled by Sony last month at the Consumer Electronics Sh
ow in Las Vegas.
The product will be available through pre-sales orders on Sony's local website.
"There are limited stocks available but we are projecting enough quantity for t
he Vaio P to be a sustainable product," Lipayon said.
by Stephen Collinson
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON--Barack Obama has pulled off the first political triumph of his pres
idency -- he will get to keep his beloved BlackBerry.
At a time of deep economic crisis and turmoil abroad, one of the most burning q
uestions facing the new White House has been the fate of the president's trusty
window to the outside world.
Being the world's most powerful man apparently has its advantages because Obama
has faced down the objections of Secret Service protectors and government lawy
ers trying to take away his trusty device.
"The president has a BlackBerry through a compromise that allows him to stay in
touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends," White House sp
okesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday. "It's a pretty small group of people."
"The security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate, but
to do so effectively and to do so in a way that is protected," Gibbs said.
The spokesman would not say exactly how the president's device had been protect
ed or whether some kind of encryption was being used to prevent the cellular de
vice from being hacked or from giving away his whereabouts.
According to The Atlantic magazine, the president will be using a standard Blac
kBerry but one equipped with a "super-encryption package" developed by an intel
ligence agency, probably the National Security Agency.
Gibbs confirmed that any emails sent or received by the president would be subj
ect to the post-Watergate Presidential Records Act of 1978, which requires that
a record be kept of every White House communication.
Obama's BlackBerry was a fixture on his belt or in his hand on the campaign tra
il and he has said the phone was a valuable part of a wider strategy to escape
the White House fishbowl.
"It's just one tool among a number of tools that I'm trying to use, to break ou
t of the bubble, to make sure that people can still reach me," he told CNN.
"If I'm doing something stupid, somebody in Chicago can send me an email and sa
y, 'What are you doing?'
"I want to be able to have voices, other than the people who are immediately wo
rking for me, be able to reach out and send me a message about what's happening
in America."
In an op-ed column this week in the Los Angeles Times, John Podesta, who headed
Obama's transition team, said allowing him to keep his BlackBerry was importan
t to allow the president to stay in touch with the outside world.
"Without his virtual connection to old friends and trusted confidants beyond th
e bubble that seals off every president from the people who elected him, he'd b
e like a caged lion padding restlessly around the West Wing, wondering what's h
appening on the other side of the iron bars that surround the People's House.
"The president's ability to reach outside his inner circle gives him access to
fresh ideas and constructive critics," Podesta said. "As president, it is more
important than ever that he remain connected."
By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net
IMAGINE talking to someone in a con
ference room, but that person is in a different country, in a different time zo
ne. Sounds familiar? Well, if youâre used to online chats and web cameras, this
technology might not be that impressive until you see it âlive.â
Telepresence combines several technologi
es that allow you and remote participants to conduct virtual conference as if y
ouâre in one room. Sounds like science fiction?
It is a virtual âin-person experience,â and aims to be life-like because it use
s high-definition streaming video, high-quality audio that creates a more inter
active environment.
Ciscoâs telepresence is designed to let people use other non-verbal means to co
mmunicate, such as gestures.
A telepresence setup includes purpose-built office furniture, which
incorporates cameras and displays, lighting, speakers, microphones and projecto
rs.
In a recent briefing, I saw this setup in Ciscoâs office in Makati.
During a demonstration, Ciscoâs Managing Director for Emerging Countries Christ
ian Hentschel and Peter Bocquet who were both in Singapore engaged us about thi
s technology.
Telepresence aims to simulate a natural office environment, where people can st
ill talk face to face even though theyâre oceans apart.
Cisco says telePresence is now being used by multinational companies, such as P
rocter and Gamble.
Hentschel says that telepresence is attracting global businesses since it is a
more convenient and cost-effective means to hold meetings without the need to t
ravel.
âIt cannot replace personal relationships but when it comes to businesses, tele
presence is the best platform,â the Cisco executive says.
Currently, telepresence technology is mainly used by businesses.
It would be good if this technology would soon become accessible to everyone. I
was thinking that the overseas Filipino workers would stand to benefit from th
is in the future.
IMAGINE talking to someone in a con
ference room, but that person is in a different country, in a different time zo
ne. Sounds familiar? Well, if youâre used to online chats and web cameras, this
technology might not be that impressive until you see it âlive.â
Telepresence combines several technologi
es that allow you and remote participants to conduct virtual conference as if y
ouâre in one room. Sounds like science fiction?
It is a virtual âin-person experience,â and aims to be life-like because it use
s high-definition streaming video, high-quality audio that creates a more inter
active environment.
Ciscoâs telepresence is designed to let people use other non-verbal means to co
mmunicate, such as gestures.
A telepresence setup includes purpose-built office furniture, which
incorporates cameras and displays, lighting, speakers, microphones and projecto
rs.
In a recent briefing, I saw this setup in Ciscoâs office in Makati.
During a demonstration, Ciscoâs Managing Director for Emerging Countries Christ
ian Hentschel and Peter Bocquet who were both in Singapore engaged us about thi
s technology.
Telepresence aims to simulate a natural office environment, where people can st
ill talk face to face even though theyâre oceans apart.
Cisco says telePresence is now being used by multinational companies, such as P
rocter and Gamble.
Hentschel says that telepresence is attracting global businesses since it is a
more convenient and cost-effective means to hold meetings without the need to t
ravel.
âIt cannot replace personal relationships but when it comes to businesses, tele
presence is the best platform,â the Cisco executive says.
Currently, telepresence technology is mainly used by businesses.
It would be good if this technology would soon become accessible to everyone. I
was thinking that the overseas Filipino workers would stand to benefit from th
is in the future.
By Glenn Chapman
AFP
SAN FRANCISCO--The first US Internet president is an online sensation, triggeri
ng a tidal wave of Web traffic as he officially seized the nation's reins on Tu
esday.
Millions around the world commented, Twittered, posted and prayed as they watch
ed Barack Obama's inauguration live on the Internet, pinning their hopes on a n
ew world order and era in American politics.
Akamai Technologies, which specializes in assuring that websites don't crash un
der the weight of heavy online traffic, saw digital content streaming surge to
record levels -- more than two terabytes of data per second.
"Take a busy day for Akamai and double it, that is where you are," said Akamai
corporate communications director Jeff Young. "It was an immense online streami
ng day."
Akamai said its EdgePlatform was streaming more than seven million v
ideo feeds, most of them live, at points during Obama's acceptance speech.
"In addition to the historic nature of the Inauguration, it is now clear that t
his event has driven unprecedented demand from a global online audience," said
Akamai marketing vice president Robert Hughes.
During the inauguration, the number of Haiku-style updates fired off by users o
f Twitter leapt fivefold, the micro-blogging service said.
"Overall, Twitter sailed smoothly through the inauguration but at the peak, som
e folks did experience a 2-5 minute delay receiving updates," a Twitter blog en
try said.
"We'll be analyzing this later today so that during the next massively shared g
lobal event there is no appreciable delay. Exciting!"
Hot social-networking website Facebook said the rate of profile page updates su
rged, peaking at an unprecedented 8,500 per minute during Obama's speech.
Facebook and CNN had teamed together to let viewers post comments or other upda
tes to their social network pages while watching the news organization's online
broadcast of the inauguration.
A contributing factor to the online popularity of the inauguration was likely t
hat the swearing-in of Obama took place when many people in the United States w
ere at work with computers and high-speed Internet.
"The Internet is more mature; broadband adoption has grown, and the galvanizing
nature of the inauguration all played a part," Young said.
"Combined with it being 11:00 am on a Tuesday, when the East Coast is in the of
fice, the West Coast is getting to work and Europe is home online."
Millions scrambled to sign in, watch the trailblazing proceedings live from hom
es or offices... and air their views for the entire world.
One US blogger said the National Mall, where the ceremony was held, was once a
slave market and that the White House was built by black slaves.
Others feted the entry of the first black man in the White House.
"You stand today as a beacon of hope for the world," wrote Farayi Makwanya from
Britain. "Change has come to the US and indeed to the whole world. People of a
ll races are smiling..."
Unflattering references to Obama's predecessor George W. Bush quickly clogged u
p the blog sites.
A post on the New York Times site said the "brass band picks up as if to drown
the boos" accompanying Bush and outgoing Vice President Dick Cheney.
The frenzy was not without dangers.
Hackers were using dozens of fake websites linked to Obama's inauguration to sp
read a virus on the Internet, Panda Security warned.
More than 70 websites are running a bogus news story titled "Barack Obama has r
efused to be a president," aimed at tricking Internet users into downloading th
e computer virus, according to Panda.
It said the cyber-attack appeared to have originated in China, based on analysi
s of the website domain names, which were all bought by a Chinese company linke
d to previous cyber-attacks.
In India, the world's largest democracy, messages of hope flooded the website o
f NTDV, one of the country's top television channels airing the proceedings liv
e on the Internet.
"Eight years of seeing things as black or white have resulted in two possibly f
ailed wars and a tarnished reputation the world over," wrote a man who identifi
ed himself as Siddharth.
NDTV said Obama would have a "clearer shot at greatness than any of his recent
predecessors," precisely due to the burdensome legacy he was inheriting from Bu
sh.
Obama is saddled with recession and has to deal with wars in Iraq and Afghanist
an and the threat of terrorism amid a historic transfer of power.
"But in great crisis lies great opportunity," it said.
A viewer wrote in the New York Times that while the hope invested in Obama was
a "little unrealistic," sometimes "people need a hero and a little blind faith.
"Obama is the man! The worst president ever will be followed by the best," he w
rote.
By Agence France-Presse
ESSEN--A German man admitted on Wednesday killing two women he had met online b
ut claimed the first case was an accident and that in the second, seeing "the e
yes of Jesus" had caused him to snap.
Christian Grotheer, 27, from Hamburg got to know around 300 people on Internet
chatrooms, most of them women, his lawyer Burkhard Benecken said, reading from
a statement from the defendant on the first day of his trial.
He used the online nicknames "Rosenboy" or "Riddick300" on the Internet chat ro
oms, the latter after a fictional serial killer in the gory 2000 science-fictio
n movie "Pitch Black" with Vin Diesel, daily Die Welt said.
Spending tens of thousands of hours on dating sites like knuddels.de (which mea
ns loosely cuddles.de) and making himself out to be a wholesome, normal guy who
wrote poetry, he went on dates with around 100 women.
Two of the romantic evenings ended in death.
Dubbed in the press "Germany's first Internet murderer", Grotheer is
accused of stabbing to death the two women, 26-year-old Jessica K. on June 5,
2008 and 39-year-old Regina B. 12 days later.
With the first woman, who went by the Internet name "babylove", Grotheer got in
to a heated argument, during which he only "touched her on the throat" when to
his horror she suddenly dropped dead, his lawyer said.
The woman's corpse was found 14 days later -- in such a state that the exact ca
use of death could not be determined. The prosecution alleges that he stabbed h
er in the back.
In the second case, Spiegel Online reported that after the two had sex at her f
lat, she cooked a meal for them both before going for a walk with her sausage d
og.
Grotheer then followed her, armed with a kitchen life, knocking her over by a f
ield and stabbing her 12 times in the back and 14 times in the chest. Her body
was discovered the next day by a passer-by, Spiegel said.
Grotheer has a different version of events. He claims that, after consensual se
x, the mother-of-three had demanded money and had threatened to go to the polic
e and accuse him of rape.
This was so traumatic, he said, that it made him recall seeing his father rape
his mother when he was six years old. Grotheer then saw "the eyes of Jesus" and
stabbed the woman, his lawyer said.
"He is more or less trying to put all the blame on the victim," prosecution law
yer Michael Schieffers said. "He claims he was possessed and had nothing to do
with the murder."
Grotheer wanted it stressed to the court that "except for these two, all the ot
her 98 are still alive," his lawyer said, and was therefore not a serial killer
.
The trial was set to last another 13 days.
By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net
HAVE you noticed the change in Googleâs favicon?
On January 9, Google launched its latest âcolorfulâ favicon, which is that smal
l icon appearing beside the URL (web address) on the address bar or the browser
tab.
According to a Google blog post by Marissa Mayer, VP search prod
ucts and user experience, and Michael Lopez, web designer, the latest favicon i
s a re-interpretation of the winning entry by André Resende, a computer scienc
e undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil.
Last year, Google launched a contest for users to design the company favicon.
Resendeâs entry consisting of âa white 'g' on a color-blocked backgr
ound was highly recognizable and attractive, while seeming to capture the essen
ce of Google,â wrote Mayer and Lopez.
The new favicon incorporates the bright colors of blue, red, yellow and green a
lso on the Google logo.
From the original design of Resende, the Google team said they incorporated min
or changes including slight change in the color layout and moving the âgâ off-c
enter.
Mayer and Lopez posted on the Google blog site in June 2008 their âexplorations
â on the Google favicons. They wrote that releasing the samples is âa first ste
p to a more unified set of icons.â At that time, the Google team tried 300 desi
gns.
So what do you think of the latest favicon? Does it look better compared to for
mer designs? Post your thoughts.
By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net
WATCHING your favorite TV series is fun, especially if you can watch it all ove
r again. Thanks to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), you will soon be watchi
ng youâre favorite TV series on-demand on any device.
Due to increasing demand for personalization, interactivity, communication and
high- definition television experience, telecommunications giant Ericsson has f
or years worked on its own innovations on IPTV. Some perceive that IPTV is tele
visionâs future.
IPTV â a standard that delivers digital television over a networked infrastruct
ure, preferably using a broadband Internet connection -- allows users to rewind
a newscast or a favorite scene in TV series episode while it is being broadcas
t.
With IPTV, you wonât need to need to rush home from work to watch your awaited
basketball game. It will also allow personalization, meaning parents can, for i
nstance, control what content their children can watch.
Since IPTV works on a networked infrastructure, Ericsson has shown a
pplications that merge text messaging (SMS) technology and content delivery. A
text message can, for one, flag parents if their children are about to watch an
on-demand movie.
In terms of mobility, IPTV also makes it possible for users to watch movies or
streaming video content through their mobile devices.
There are many possibilities. But just imagine what IPTV can do to transform ou
r viewing behavior.
Currently, there are pockets of IPTV deployments in the Philippines. Ericsson,
however, says IPTV is not yet commercially available in the Philippines. But th
e company expects this technology to arrive in the country soon.
AFTER successfully launching the first underwater
unmanned vehicle, research and development firm Roboteknik is developing the co
untry's first commercially available unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which can b
e used for industrial and military purposes.
The Custos (Latin for guardian) is a remote controlled aircraft almost two mete
rs in length and is similar to some UAVs used in the US, particularly the RQ se
ries made by AAI Corporation and Israel Aircraft Industries.
The Custos is only about 1.5 meters in length and is powered by a single electr
ic jet propulsion engine. The UAV can be outfitted with high resolution close c
ircuit television camera for still and video shots, a global positioning system
receiver, infrared sensors, among others.
The Custos can fly for two hours at a maximum height of 5,000 feet.
It can fly within a 10-kilometer range and can be controlled from the ground th
rough a mobile command station.
The Custos won third prize in last year's Department of Science and Technology
âs National Inventors Week Awards.
Roboteknik President Michael Poblete said that the company is building an upgra
ded version of the original Custos.
He said it would be ready by February 2009.
Poblete declined to reveal details of the upgraded version but said it would be
for an "immediate client."
The new UAV, however, will also be used by the military, local government units
, law enforcement and agriculture.
Poblete said the first UAV model would cost around P90,000 though it might not
be used commercially for some time.
The price of the upgraded version is yet to be announced.
MANY people who still want to have
a computer opt to buy a cheaper model to save on cost and perhaps leave some mo
re for other items to buy. Red Fox is now one of the cheaper brand names in the
desktop and notebook PC market that can appeal to a wider range of buyers.
However, its first foray in the ânetbookâ business through its AMD Geode-powere
d Wizbook was a difficult one, especially when it left out certain features tha
t would normally be found in other models, especially a webcam.
But the first batch of Wizbook LX800 can take pride in having the longest batte
ry life for a netbook since it uses a 3-cell 2200 milliampere-hour (mAh) batter
y that allows the Wizbook LX800 and the lower model LX700 to last for at least
four hours.
But after six months, Red Fox started offering the Wizbook 1020i, which is usin
g the Intel Atom processor. Incidentally, the 1020i is actually the LX800 with
an Atom processor, plus additional 512 megabytes of memory to make it 1 gigabyt
e. It also comes with a webcam and a more powerful 4000 mAh 6-cell battery.
The Wizbook 1020i also comes in Linpus Linux or Microsoft Windows XP
. The model reviewed by INQUIRER.NET is the Linpus Linux version of Wizbook. Th
is new model seems to be a better choice than the first batch of Wizbook models
though there are still kinks.
Design and construction
The Wizbook 1020i is basically the Wizbook LX800 with a few more bells and whis
tles. Apart from the upgrades mentioned, the new model now has a third USB port
and a larger 80 Gb hard disk drive. The 1020i also comes in three colors: red,
black and a two-tone red and black model.
The 1020i also weighs slightly heavier than previous models at 1.2 kilograms bu
t is lightweight when compared to other models in the 10-inch class. The plasti
c bezel protecting the 1020i is smooth and shiny and the red model looks partic
ularly noticeable with its bright red tone.
It also has a 0.3 megapixel webcam; a low-end unit by many standards but still
works as the screen itself is not big enough to render high-quality videos.
Screen and keyboard
The screen is 10.2-inches and offer
s a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. This works well when playing videos in widesc
reen. Using the Linux settings the 1020i can execute resolutions of up to 1024x
600. Red Fox says this is the maximum resolution even when using Microsoft Wind
ows XP. It is also particularly bright for a small screen though it can be redu
ced via hotkeys.
The keyboard is a feature of the 1020i that Red Fox needs to be addressed. Even
at 80-percent keyboard size, the layout is still problematic. Two Windows butt
ons occupy too much space, forcing designers to make the spacebar smaller and t
hus harder to press. The Enter button is also harder to press because of the Ho
me button that has taken some space. The user will likely press the Home button
instead of the Enter button using this current keyboard layout.
Video and audio playback
An integrated player in this device plays video and audio files. Most music fil
e formats are supported but some video files are not. Thus you still need to in
stall additional codecs to play these other formats. For instance, âWMVâ and âA
VIâ video files failed to play on the Linpus Linux and so a separate Linux play
er and all necessary codecs had to be installed.
Linpus Linux also does not support
âFLVâ video format. Youtube videos would not run on Linpus Linux, and again, th
e latest Adobe Flash videos have to be downloaded. However, it would run much b
etter on Windows XP.
Audio was also an issue for The Wizbook 1020i. There were two stereo speakers b
ut the power output is barely 1.2 watts, which produced âmono auralâ sound. Hav
ing a stereo speaker, however, is not a big deal since most users would rather
use a pair of earphones when playing music or viewing videos.
Battery and connectivity
If there is one thing that the 1020i can be proud of, it is the battery. A 6-ce
ll 4000 mAh battery is not yet a standard among netbooks and Red Fox is one of
the few vendors that has been using it. When running on Linux, the 1020i can ru
n for over four hours (but not more than five hours), even while playing videos
and browsing the Internet. Battery life can be reduced if the Wizbook 1020i ru
ns on Windows XP.
Like the previous models, the 1020i has a Wifi receiver. Linpus Linux allows fo
r easy connectivity although it might require some getting used to especially f
or those not familiar with a Linux interface. If wireless connectivity is not a
vailable, the 1020i can also connect to the Web through the ever-reliable RJ-45
jack.
Verdict
The Red Fox Wizbook 1020i is one of the most basic Atom-powered netbooks. Red F
ox has removed a few features, which is not necessary. But Red Fox still retain
s a good level of usability for users. Despite some kinks, the Wizbook 1020i is
a good alternative to more expensive netbooks in the 10-inch category. Besides
, who can beat its P19,900 price tag.
Full specficiations
Intel Atom Processor 1600MHz, 32KB L1 Cache, 512KB L2 Cache
10.2" Screen, 16:9 Screen Format, 1024x600 Resolution
Built-in 0.3 megapixel webcam
1 gigabyte memory
80GB hard disk drive
LAN Slot RJ-45,
Wifi 802.11b/g
PCMCIA Slot
SD/MMC/MS card reader
Built-In Stereo Speakers, 2x1.0W
Headphone/Microphone ports
Three USB ports
4000mAh battery pack.
Dimensions: 254x189x39mm
Weight:1.25 kilograms
PANGASINAN, Philippines -- A few Filipino owners have reported being affected b
y the "Zune Bug," a problem connected to the deviceâs internal clock that froze
some Microsoft Zune digital music players on January 1, 2009.
The creator of local Zune fan site ZunePH has posted two messages as of January 1 discussing the pro
blem.
The creator also warned owners of the 30 Gigabyte version of Zune, which came o
ut in 2006.
This model is said to have a problem counting leap years and would not boot up.
"Very weird! Must have something to do with date stamps of the devic
e, like Y2K [year 2000] scare. I hope this gets fixed asap [as soon as possible
]," the creator said.
However, the creator later posted a statement from Microsoft that declared the
problem is "self-resolving."
Four replies in the local Zune fans blog indicated that they have been affected
by the said flaw in the device.
One comment indicated that he did not notice the flaw until news came out about
it.
Another anonymous user reported of being affected by the bug and tried to charg
e then drain its internal battery to no avail.
User "Justin" feared that he might have ruined his 30 Gb Zune, which froze up d
uring a reformatting process that he initiated after noticing the problem.
Microsoft Philippines officials were unavailable for comment as of this writing
.
An internal clock driver problem caused Microsoft's Zune players to malfunction
, Agence France-Presse reports.
Excerpt:
Thousands of the MP3 music players froze on New Year's Eve around t he world due to what Microsoft described as a bug in the device's internal cloc k. The bug only affected the original, 30-gigabyte version of the music player tha t was introduced by the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft in 2006 as its answ er to Apple's wildly popular iPod. Later devices with 80GB and 120GB of memory were not affected.This forum offered an explanation. It says:
After doing some poking around in the source code for the Zune's cl ock driver (available free from the Freescale website), I found the root cause of the now-infamous Zune 30 leapyear issue that struck everyone on New Year's E ve. The Zune's real-time clock stores the time in terms of days and seconds since J anuary 1st, 1980. When the Zune's clock is accessed, the driver turns the numbe r of days into years/months/days and the number of seconds into hours/minutes/s econds. Likewise, when the clock is set, the driver does the opposite. The Zune frontend first accesses the clock toward the end of the boot sequence. Doing this triggers the code that reads the clock and converts it to a date an d time. Below is the part of this code that determines the year component of th e date.Zune.net has already posted a solution to this problem here.
